- Details
Traveling abroad is stressful enough without accidentally offending the people you’re visiting.
Check out these warnings from the BuzzFeed website to steer clear of a faux pas in a foreign nation:
China – Don’t give any kind of gift with the number four in it. The Chinese word for “four” sounds close to the word for “death.”
Denmark – You’ll show bad manners if you take the last item of food off a plate. If you want a little more, take only part of it and leave the rest.
India – Use your right hand when eating or passing food, never your left. The left hand is considered unclean in India, as well as other places like Africa and the Middle East.
Japan – Don’t stick your chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice. Rice is presented this way during funerals. Doing it at a meal will be seen as bad luck.
Mexico – Your server won’t bring your check to the table before you ask for it, so don’t assume he or she isn’t paying attention to you.
Netherlands – Never give a knife or anything with a sharp edge (like scissors) as a gift. They’re considered unlucky.
Venezuela – Show up on time for a business meeting, and you’ll appear greedy and rude. You’re actually better off being 10-15 minutes late.